Reflections: Collection of Kataang oneshots
by Oompasy
Summary: Previously just a oneshot. Considering the reviews I got, I decided to make it a collection of Kataang oneshots instead. First one is on how I see Kataang finally happening. Second one a silly Kataang moment. Read and find out about the other oneshots!R
1. Chapter 1

Often I have been accused by my Kataanger friends of being too partial towards Zutara. While I agree I am an avid Zutarian, that doesn't mean I hate Kataang. And just to prove it to my Kataang friends, I am writing this Kataang oneshot. I admit it's my first Kataang fanfic or fanart or anything related to Kataang, but I will give it my best and I hope you like it as well. Crosses fingers

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last airbender and this is a work of complete fiction.

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Its strange how the things that you keep searching for are right before your very eyes.

Katara has traveled nearly the whole world with her brother and Aang, searching for a way to help defeat the evil fire lord. Who knew that this journey would take her so near her heart than she had ever thought possible when she was growing up as the only water bender in the entire south pole? Days and months had gone by in a flash and here she was, at the threshold of the greatest battle that history was ever going to be a witness to, a battle that would decide the fate of the entire world, a battle for which she knew she was ready the moment she witnessed her mother's lifeless body lying in the cold merciless snow.

For a moment, the cries of her wounded tribesmen reverberated through her mind. Being too young to participate in the ongoing battle, she and Sokka had been forced to hide while the rest of her family was getting slaughtered by the invading fire nation soldiers. The frozen tears clinging on to her eye lashes as she had hung on to her brother in terror, shivering not because of the sub zero temperature but because of the consuming terror eating up her soul, she was too confused and frightened to realize that this one incident was going to turn her world upside down.

She had come a long way from being that helpless tiny girl to being one of the most respected and feared waterbender the world has ever known. And tomorrow she was going to make sure that no one would ever have to lose his or her parents again as a mere pawn in the ongoing senseless battle that has consumed the world for a hundred years now. She gritted her teeth, her hands fisting themselves. She was determined.

The cool night breeze gently ruffled her hair as she sat in deep thought. The whole gang has been preparing themselves for the big battle tomorrow and a solemn atmosphere prevailed over the entire ship. The last few days, they had been traveling around in one of Hakoda's water tribe ship, which was now docked on the bays of a secret island that Zuko had told them about. She had noticed how Sokka was trying his best to cheer up Suki but she knew he was thinking about whether he would ever be able to see her again. Toph's usual banter and insults had subdued to a unnerving silence, her sightless eyes wandering around everywhere and she knew she was thinking about her parents.

The whole ship was silent and Katara slowly got up from the wooden floor, gently stretching her arms. She had not seen Aang for the past hour and instinctively she knew where to find him. She walked over to the wooden steps leading up from her cabin. The creaking of the floor board as she climbed up the stairs sounded as loud as a stampede of a hundred comodorhinos but she ignored the noise. She shivered at the sudden cold wind engulfing her from the seas and pulled her robes a bit tighter around her shoulders. She walked over the docks, making her way over to a lonely figure standing at the far end, his shadow silhouetted against the pale moonlight.

She sighed, wondering how she was going to tell him.

"You don't have to tell him. He knows already."

Katara whirled around, instinctively getting into a fighting stance. She peered into the darkness, trying to see through the shadows and as her eyes became accustomed to the dark, she saw Zuko calmly looking up at her from the shadows where he had been siting. She let her arms drop by her side and wearily walked over to him, rubbing her head, trying to curb the headache that had been bothering her for the past few days. Zuko shifted over to one side as Katara slowly lowered herself next to him, leaning against the wooden wall. She looked over at him but he didn't look at her, his eyes lost in the clouds above. Katara turned to look up the sky too, the moon partially hidden behind the clouds as the night wind whiped around her, making her clutch her robe tighter.

" Does he?" she asked, still not looking at him.

Zuko didn't reply back but turned to look at her face. She calmly stared back at him, her eyes roaming around his familiar face, the same face which she once thought belonged to the enemy, the same face she had grown to accept as her comrade, her friend, the same face which had finally made her see that all fire nation people are not monsters after all. He nodded his head slightly and turned back to look up to the sky, his hair ruffling in the wind.

" So I don't have to tell him?" Katara persisted.

Zuko once again looked back at her.

"I did not mean it in that sense." He replied." I meant you don't have to worry about how you are going to tell him."

Katara knew he made sense in a weird sort of way. With her and Aang, things have always been left unsaid but it has always been understood. Even when Aang had kissed her before going to face Ozai during the eclipse, no words were later exchanged about that incident. She was surprised no doubt, it was not everyday that the guy you think is your best friend suddenly lugs at you and kisses you. That's what she thought in the beginning. She had been so concerned about everyone else that she never gave time to herself, to even think about her own feelings and needs. Others always came first.

Even when she finally realized what her feelings for Aang really meant, it was because she was thinking about how 'he' felt, not because how 'she' felt. The realization came as a shock to her, rendering her speechless. So long she had been searching for love and it has always been with her. She just didn't know where to look for it until it found her.

The tiny pang of jealousy that she felt in the cave dance party had been pushed aside as a reaction to seeing Aang with someone else for she had never seen him with that close with any other girl before. Not because her heart wrenched at the sight, seeing Aang so happy with someone else. A tiny smile etched over the corner of her lips at the memory. How naive she had been.

" It's not always that you find someone who cares so much about you." Zuko's voice brought her back to reality. She looked over at him. Was he talking about her and Aang or was he talking about Mai? She knew that the prince really cared for Mai, though he never spoke about her but she had grown close enough to him to know that he does.

"Yes." She agreed, nodding her head slightly. Aang had always cared about her, not that Sokka didn't. But with Aang, it was different. She looked over at his shadow by the railings, still and unmoving. Why didn't I tell him till now?

"It doesn't matter." Zuko said, his eyes looking where she was looking at. "What matters is the present." She nodded her head, looking back at Zuko, who gently smiled at her and stood up on his feet. He gave her his hand, which she took and he pulled her to her feet. She looked up at his eyes, so mysterious, she didn't have to read his mind to know he was thinking about Mai.

"Uncle says that love always finds a way." He whispered. " So don't worry."

Katara looked into his eyes. "Yes. You should remember that too." she whispered back.

Zuko looked a bit surprised but before he could say anything, Katara had already turned around and was making her way over to Aang. She didn't worry about it anymore, she knew she didn't have to.

The creaking of the floorboard made Aang turn around to look at her. For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, they both just stood there, looking at each other, saying everything they had to say and yet saying nothing at all. Katara was not even aware who made the first move but the next thing she knew, she was in his arms, holding him like she had never held anyone else before. Zuko was right. You don't have to say anything. He already knows. The last thing she remembered before their lips met was that she was finally where she belonged, she was finally home.

Its strange how the things that you keep searching for are right before your very eyes.

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reviews are always appreciated


	2. Chapter 2

Considering the amount of requests I got to write more Kataang, I decided to make it a collection of oneshots. :) I hope this one lives upto everyone's expectations and please do review and let me know what you think about it. :)

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Aang looked around his surroundings hopelessly. The cacophony of noise made by the merchants shouting out to get the customers' attentions to their wares was not enough to drown out Katara's angry mumblings as she stared at the map in her hand, glaring at it as if it's the map's fault that they got lost in the first place. Aang knew better than to question Katara when she was in one of those moods so he decided instead to focus on a bunch of tiny frogbats hanging around the cages of one store. He sighed, wondering how he got himself dragged into this mess, all thanks to Sokka. It was a perfectly happy morning with birds chirping around and Aang making wonderful progress in his firebending training with Zuko. He was in a pretty good mood, considering how much he had learnt in just a couple of days and was making his way back to the temple courtyard with Zuko when suddenly they both stopped dead on their tracks. Katara's voice was echoing all over the temple.

"What?? What do you mean girls can't read maps?"

"Come on Katara. You know it's true. You can't read a map to save your life."

A feeling of dread crept up Aang's spine and by the look on his fire bending teacher's face, he knew Zuko was feeling the same: they would both rather jump off the temple cliff than to get involved in another one of the siblings quarrels. With a quick nod of their head, Aang and Zuko were just silently creeping back, Aang hoping against hope that neither Sokka nor Katara catches him when suddenly Katara's voice rang out again.

"Aang!!"

Aang froze, his foot still hovering in midair, a feeling of blind panic making his heart hammer in his chest. Zuko gave him a sympathetic and apologetic look before he ducked around the corner and disappeared from view. Great! Aang thought. Just when he was beginning to trust the fire bender. He turned around gingerly, a big grin on his face, trying to mask the feeling of doom at the pit of his stomach.

"Hey Katara. What's up?"

"Sokka's chauvinistic attitude, that's what's up." She replied angrily, looking at Aang as if daring him to say otherwise. Aang gulped. This is not good.

"I am just being truthful." Sokka spoke up, mistaking Aang's pleading look to be a questioning one. "Girls just don't know how to read maps."

"Aang! You know it's not true. Tell him that." Katara demanded, rounding up on Aang, her eyes blazing with anger. It was during moments like this that Aang longed he could rather take Azula out on a date than face Katara. "Well…" he cleared his throat, racking his brains trying to figure out anything sensible to say. Katara was looking at him impatiently, her arms folded and her right foot tapping the floor. Aang panicked. What is he supposed to say? The truth and live to regret it or lie and have his conscience trouble him for the rest of his life?

He decided on the diplomatic approach.

"Well Sokka, girls can read maps. Why Toph doesn't even need a map to figure out where we are going. Hee hee.." He finished lamely, praying Sokka would drop the topic.

"Keep me out of this twinkle toes" Toph spoke up, sounding thoroughly entertained to witness Aang's predicament.

"All right. Maybe girls can read maps. But Katara can't." Sokka continued, a goofy grin plastered on his face, making Aang wonder how he can smile when Katara is looking at him as if she would love to waterbend him to the next galaxy.

"I can!!" Katara screeched, making a few birds fly out from the surrounding trees.

"Prove it then." Sokka replied. Oh no! Aang could feel his heart drop down to his toes. This was what he had been dreading ever since he heard Katara shouting.

"You don't have to prove anything Katara." Aang spoke up hurriedly, trying to repair the damage before it was too late. "Sokka just likes to keep irritating you. Don't let him get to you this time." He glared at Sokka warningly but the water tribe warrior seemed to be oblivious to Aang's panic.

"No Aang. It's about time I prove Sokka wrong." Katara marched upto Sokka, Aang following her, dragging his feet along as if he were walking to the gallows. Where is Ozai when you need him, Aang wondered miserably.

It was therefore decided that Katara would have to find her way back to the temple from the nearest merchant port, just a few miles south of the air temple with the help of Sokka's fire nation map and she was supposed to do so before sunset. Just to make sure she was not cheating and asking for directions, Sokka came up with the brilliant plan of sending Aang and Zuko along with her. They however couldn't find the fire bender anywhere and Aang made a mental note to ask Zuko about his hiding place in case he needed to escape from another sibling war sometime soon.

And so there they were, going round and round in circles ever since Aang could remember, always ending up in front of the same frogbat store. Aang wondered whether he should bring up the word 'lost' but one look at Katara's face and he dropped the idea. But this was not helping at all. They should have been back to the temple by now and the sun was hovering dangerously near the horizon. He finally decided to gather up his courage and speak up. He was the Avatar after all. A tiny voice in his mind reminded him that he doesn't have the Avatar state to help him this time if Katara gets mad at him but he chose to ignore it.

"Err.. Katara?" He spoke up tentatively.

"What?" she snapped at him, clicking her tongue as she turned the map upside down, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Aang took a deep breath, gathering his wits and finally spoke up. "Are we lost?"

Katara whirled around to look at him but instead of anger, Aang was horrified to find tears glistering in her eyes. She took the map and ripped it apart in front of Aang, taking shuddering breaths to stop the tears from spilling out. She flung the pieces in the air and marched over to sit in one of the benches by the well, leaving Aang rooted to the spot. He was unsure what to do, he had never actually seen Katara with tears in her eyes; it was a completely new experience to him but one look at her dejected face and he could feel his heart getting ripped apart.

He walked up to the bench and sat down beside her.

"You know Katara… it's not always a bad thing not to know something."

Katara had her face away from him, her eyes seeming to look over at the fish merchant in front of her across the road. Aang was not sure whether she heard him or not but he couldn't bear to not have her look at him when he spoke.

"I didn't know anything about anything until I met you and Sokka. Sokka taught me the value of thinking things through. I learnt the value of hard work from Toph. And Zuko.. Zuko taught me the value of perseverance." Aang stopped, looking up at Katara. She seemed to have calmed down a bit for now her eyes were downcast, looking at her feet but Aang could still see tear drops glistering on her eyelashes.

He reached up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"But you know what Katara..?" he continued. "Everything would have been useless if it was not for you. You taught me to keep my hopes alive. You taught me the value of always seeing the bright side even during the darkest hours."

Katara glanced over at him, her face a mixture of emotions. Aang smiled at her. " If it was not for you, if it was not for hope, even planning and thinking ahead or working hard and never giving up loses all its meaning."

Katara was looking at Aang as if she was seeing him for the first time. Her tears have dried up and she was actually smiling at him. Aang gently squeezed her shoulder and continued. "You can do it Katara. Don't think of it as a challenge, think of it as something you need to learn.. not to prove a point to someone else but to prove to yourself that you can learn something you know you are not good at. Don't lose hope"

Katara chuckled softly and Aang could feel his heart soar, a big grin appearing over his face. "I guess I am bad at reading maps. I should get Sokka to teach me how to read one."

"That's the spirit Katara." Aang replied happily, jumping on his feet and giving his hand to Katara to help her get up. Katara smiled up to him and stood up, wiping away her tears. Before Aang could figure out what was happening, suddenly Katara had flung her arms around him, holding him tightly in her arms. Aang held her back, his heart thumping wildly in his chest, glad to have her in his arms but happier still to have been able to stop her tears. She stepped back from him, her eyes shining with her radiant smile as she looked over at the street, where the now ripped off pieces of the map were hopelessly fluttering about in the evening wind.

"I guess the map is not going to be of any use anymore." She sighed.

"It would have been of no use even if it was not ripped to pieces." The horror of what he had spoken had just sunk into him and he cringed inwardly, kicking himself for even opening his mouth. He closed his eyes and braced himself to face Katara's anger when suddenly he could hear Katara laughing out loud. Cautiously he opened his eyes and was astonished to see Katara laughing away freely, her pretty brown hair fluttering in the evening breeze.

"I am that bad at reading maps, am I not?" she choked through her laughter and as Aang found himself laughing along with her, he could not help but thank Sokka for coming up with his stupid idea of getting both Katara and him lost for hours. Stupid or brilliant, whichever way you look at it, Aang though as they both made their way back to the street, trying to figure out a way to get back to the temple. This was going to be a long evening but strangely neither Aang nor Katara seemed to mind one bit.

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reviews are always appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

This is a short one. The idea just came to me and I wrote it in 15 minutes flat. lol. I hope it didn't turn out too bad. Please leave your comments, letting me know what you think about it :)

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Will you look at that? There they go again. Stealing glances at each other while they think no one else is looking. I admit they do have a valid point there, I mean Toph can't exactly see and Zuko.. well I don't think he will notice anything even if it dances in front of his face wearing Bhumi's purple outfit. Unless he is looking for it of course. But that's not the point here. Just because I am the sarcasm guy doesn't mean I can't notice anything serious happening around my vicinity and actually look at it in an un-sarcastic way. Hah! Un-sarcastic. I bet I just invented a new word right there. Anyway what I want to say is that give a guy some respect. I am the elder brother in here after all, I don't have to see some guy openly trying to flirt with my baby sister. Not that he is succeeding very well at it. He has himself to blame for it though. I tried giving him advice on how to be with girls when Katara dragged us along to meet Aunt Wu, seems like he has forgotten every word I said. I mean, look at him! He is going all blushy faced and puppy dog eyes on her for seal jerkey's sake! Whatever happened to maximum aloofness? No wonder Katara took such a long time to actually notice Aang trying to impress her!

There! Again! Oho. Seems like they both tried to look at each other at the same time. Haha. I never thought Aang could blush such a brilliant shade of red! Oh no! Katara is fumbling with the ladle, loosing her grip and there she drops it into the pot! Arrgh! I hope she doesn't ruin the meat she is cooking, it took me hours of employing exemplary hunting skills to catch those moose-deers. I better remind her.

"Hey! Katara! Be careful with the meat will you?"

Hmm, I have to admit though. In spite of being the elder brother, Katara sometimes scares me to death. Like the scowl she is wearing on her face now, that is an expression which always precedes a Katara outburst and believe me, you don't want to be at the end of a Katara outburst. I found it out when I was 7 years old and I accidentally broke her favorite doll house. Thanks to me, everyone found out that day itself about what a great waterbender she will become one day. It didn't help me of course, I had to suffer three days of intense fever after Dad finally managed to find me trapped in the block of ice. Oh well, happy days.

"Hey Sokka! Tell your sister to stay away from Aang for a few minutes will you?"

"Why Toph?"

Reminder. You don't want to be at the receiving end of a Toph outburst either. Man! I wonder how a girl half my size can make me feel like running away from her when she looks at me with that murderous expression. Was that a stupid question I asked? Toph's face is turning red, not a good sign, not a good sign at all.

"Because they are hurting my ears!"

Umm. I admit, she totally lost me there. Dare I ask her what she means or should I pretend to understand and just nod my head? No, I am Sokka of the water tribe, I am the plan guy, I don't give up that easily. Hurting her ears. How can they hurt her ears? They are not shouting or anything. There you see, they are both sitting quietly, Katara stirring the pot and Aang cutting up the beet roots. Apart from the occasional blushing and fumblings of course. Hah! I bet Aang's heart must be racing so loud, he must be... ooh! Now I get it. Toph can sense vibrations so I guess she must be getting the vibrations of their hearts beating fast each time they try to glance at each other.

"You got it right Snoozles. Now seperate them or I will make sure you never get to eat that meat she is cooking."

Wait! How did she know what I was thinking? Should I ask her? Naah.. I think it's better I go and wrestle with a platypus bear than try to ask her how she could do it, especially when she just smacked that rock about a foot into the air as she walked off. Oh well, the perils of being the big brother. Maybe I can take Aang out for a walk, it will do him good, calm his nerves down and also help Katara to concentrate on the meat she is cooking. I hate to be the wet blanket but sometimes these things have to be done, especially when you are threatened by the most powerful earth bender in the world.

Hold on a second. When did Aang come over to sit so near to my sister? He was sitting way over there, across the fire. How did he come to sit next to her? And what is he doing? Is he holding my sister's hand? And.. and.. she is blushing even more!

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

Did I just shout that out? Seems like it, considering the fact that both Aang and Katara are looking over at me. And he is still holding her hand! The nerve! Ok Sokka.. calm down.. calm down. Remember this is the Avatar you are yelling at, the same Avatar who can turn you into a crisp within a matter of minutes. Or worse still, he can turn the meat into a crisp within a matter of seconds!

"What's wrong Sokka?"

The chill running down my spine has got nothing to do with Katara's voice. Nothing I tell you. Think brain think! What am I going to say now? Why do I always get myself in these situations, why why?

"Hey Sokka! Want to see some new sword tricks?"

If I was not so vain, if the proud blood of the water tribe warriors were not running in my veins, I swear I would have fallen on the ground, kissing Zuko's feet in gratitude at the timely intervention.

"Yes!!"

Uh. I never realised how much someone's voice can echo in this temple. Why, I think I can hear my voice echo over the valley beyond. I guess I did shout a bit too enthusiastically, considering the flabbergasted looks on Zuko and Aang's faces. Not Katara though. She is giving me the "I-know-what-you-were-upto" look.

"Sokka!!"

A few rocks actually fell down from the cliffs at the sound of Toph's bellow. Me being unable to move from terror is not something I would like to experience at this moment but my body just went numb with fear. Now I did it! Toph is going to kill me! If the ground shuddering is any indication, I should get out of here as soon as I can before she comes charging after me. I completely forgot about her ears hurting, I guess my shouting out loud didn't help. Under such situations, you can't help but panic and I implore you, please don't tell Suki about how fast I ran towards Zuko to save my life.

"Let's go Zuko! Fast! Else you would be showing your sword tricks to a Sokka frozen in a block of ice, enclosed in an earth block, suspended high up on the tip of a tornado."

Turning back to look while running at lightning speed is quite a feat I tell you. It gets even worse when you turn back and see your baby sister getting all lovey dovey over a guy right in front of you. Aang and Katara are sitting even closer to each other now, oblivious to my panic or to the earth rumblings. And.. and.. Aang is holding both her hands now!! Oh well, there are some things you better not get yourself involved in and that includes the romance between the Avatar and my sister. Sigh.. sometimes it just doesn't pay to get out of bed in the morning. Wait! Is that burnt meat I smell?? Aaargh!!

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Reviews are always appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

Well regarding my last oneshot, I seem to have made a wrong impression regarding Toph being able to read minds. She can not. Sokka was actually mumbling when he thought he was thinking, so Toph could hear every word he was saying :) But Sokka being Sokka, he didn't even realise it and since it was written from Sokka's POV, what he doesn't realise cannot exactly be written :D Hope that clears it up. ;) So here comes the next oneshot: Not one of my better ones, I agree. This is a really short one and is something which struck me out of the blue. Hope you like it though. :(

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How is it possible that one moment in time can change the whole course of someone's life?

The life that one has been living ever since they were born, how can everything turn upside down in one moment?

How is it possible that something as deep as friendship can turn in an instant into something even deeper, an immortal love?

How can things which were never meant to be said can be understood without even being spoken?

How is it possible that one glance is all it takes to make someone's heart melt? Or to stop it?

Is it possible to measure time, the exact moment when one knows that this love is for eternity?

Why can't anyone describe in words the feeling that one gets when they finally realize that they are never going to be alone anymore?

When does it hit someone that the one thing they have been searching for all their life is finally in front of them?

What is it that makes time spent with one another so memorable, even when not a word has been exchanged?

Does the poet's words really justify the joy of the peacock when it dances in the rain, the same joy of falling in love?

Why is it so difficult to define what love actually is?

Why does it get confusing when someone tries to analyze this feeling?

What exactly do you call this feeling, the feeling that engulfs you when someone you love, loves you back in return?

So many questions but no answers to any of them.

So many emotions but no names to define any of them.

Is it really necessary to ask all this? Is it really that important to know what they mean?

Trying to find an answer never helped her understand it anyway.

Try as much as she could, all these questions lead to more questions in return.

Analyzing and reasoning is not something that can be implemented to understand the way this works.

She found it out the moment he took her in his arms.

And when he kissed her, she finally got the answers she had been searching for...

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Why is it that no matter how hard someone tries, they can never really explain what they feel for the one they love?

Is it possible to fall in love with someone the moment they lay their eyes on them?

What is it that makes breathing so difficult when one is near the person they love?

Why is love so difficult to express?

When does one realize that they cannot live the rest of their lives without someone?

Why does it pain so much when you see the one you love in tears?

What makes the heart soar every time they catch a glimpse of the other?

How can a simple smile from someone make the day seem so much brighter?

Why does one feel like spending every waking hour with the one you love, no matter what?

What makes the songbird sing it's heart out every night for one it loves?

Why does saving the world seem so much important when it means one can be together?

But then is it really worth saving oneself if the one you love doesn't love you back?

What is it that makes someone willing to face death just so the other can live?

So many questions but no answers to any of them.

So many emotions but no names to define any of them.

Is it really necessary to ask all this? Is it really that important to know what they mean?

Trying to find an answer never helped him understand it anyway.

Try as much as he could, all these questions lead to more questions in return.

Analyzing and reasoning is not something that can be implemented to understand the way this works.

He found it out the moment he took her in his arms.

And when she kissed him back in return, he finally got the answers he had been searching for...

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reviews are always appreciated :)


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for reading my oneshots. It means a lot, especially since I am a Zutarian and write almost all things Zutara. To get such reviews for writing something which is out of my comfort zone makes it really special. I hope this oneshot lives up to everyone's expectations as well. This one is really really short but that's just the way it came out to be. With a lot of Kataangst :) Please do leave a comments on what you thought about it :)

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Katara watched sadly as the lone figure slowly walked away from her. To say that she was not heartbroken would be like saying that she never felt the tear drops sliding down her cheeks. She stood there, finding herself praying hard for him to turn back and look at her once, just once. Unknowingly she grasped the edge of her blue tunic hard, crumpling it under anxious hands, tears slowly clouding her vision but she refused to blink them away. It's been so long she had denied herself the relief of finally letting her emotions flow, it almost felt strange to feel the tears slide down her cheek, to have her heart swell over with indescribable pain and let the pain flow down her eyes. She finally realized that whatever she had heard about crying making things feel better turned out to be a lie after all; no matter what, she knew this pain is not something that could just go away. She had learned to live with it so far and she will continue to do so. She struggled to take in a breathe, her gaze fixed on the retreating figure, as thousands of thoughts ran through her mind at once. Words, sentences.. tiny one sided conversations that she pretended she never heard:

_" Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you. I like you, but more than normal." _

Her quiet tears finally gave way to sobs, as she fell down on her knees, her fists clenching the ground, the same terrible pain searing up her heart making the tears stream down to the ground. Why, oh why are the Gods conspiring against me, she wondered miserably. This was too big a price to pay but what was she supposed to do? The world needed him more than she could ever claim; it was cruel the way destiny had chosen her to make the ultimate sacrifice; it has always been her, ever since she could remember.

Her body wrecked with silent sobs as she held herself tightly, willing the pain in her heart to subside. Will he ever understand? Will he ever realize the amount of courage it took for her to keep her emotions in check from him? To prevent him from seeing what she really felt for him? She had no idea when and how this feeling started to grow in her, becoming so intense in time that it almost made it difficult for her to breathe when he was standing near her. She had long given up trying to put a name to this emotion, giving it up to destiny to decide for her. And destiny decided for her in the worst possible way, asking her to chose between his life and the world's. She knew she had to make the choice; even if it killed her, she had to do it. There was only one way out of it, to save both the world and his life and she did it. Not only for the sake of the whole world but also for his sake, to make his realize that he cannot make millions of peoples' life hang in the balance just for her.

So she had to step back from him, even though every step she took back hurt her like she was walking on broken glass; every step she took away from him almost making her feel as if she was bloodbending herself to force the step backwards. Every glance she broke making her heart cry out in pain but she had to do it. Was this how Toph felt when she had to leave her parents behind? Was this how Sokka felt when Yue died in his arms? Her heart nearly stopped as an unwilling image of him dying in her arms flashed through her mind. No, she clutched her chest, no, no no!

Please give me strength, she prayed silently, the tears still refusing to let go.

And then suddenly she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked up in shock, not getting enough time to wipe out her tears and put on her facade of indifference like she always did. He was looking down at her, his eyes full of pain and something almost akin to understanding. She helplessly looked on, unable to stop her tears as he knelt down in front of her and gently held her face in his warm hands. The pain in her heart almost made her feel as if she is going to die any minute, it was so intense. He looked back in her eyes, refusing to look away and she had to close her eyes to stop him from seeing the pain and the truth reflect in her eyes. She could still feel him looking at her through her closed eyelids and then his hands gently wiped the tears off her face, making her open her eyes in mild surprise.

He smiled at her sadly, the gentle evening breeze ruffling his orange robes around his slender figure. For a moment that almost seemed to stretch into eternity, they kept staring at each other, engulfed in painful silence, a silence so ear shuttering she could almost hear their sadness spill over the entire valley.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything; she couldn't bear to see the hurt in his eyee but as she opened her mouth to speak, she was unable to form a single word. She took in a deep breath and tried again but still could not make her tongue form a sinle word for somehow words seemed to have lost their meaning; no words could ever do justice to what she wanted to say.

He gently shook his head, slowly wrapping his arms around her. For once she let go, letting her walls crumble around her as she held him back, silently praying the Gods to forgive her this one moment of weakness, just this once. She clung on to him tightly, promising herself that it would be just this time that she was letting go of her emotions, hoping against hope that he would understand.

"I do understand." Aang whispered back in her ear gently. She responded by gripping him tighter, tears seeping down her closed eyelids.

After what seemed like hours they finally broke apart, her tears finally having dried up as they looked at each other serenely, the evening moon slowly rising up in the distant horizon. He smiled at her sadly once again, slowly getting up on his feet, her hand still clutched in his. She looked up to him, still on her knees as he gently nodded his head, putting his right hand on top of her hand which was clutched in his left hand.

"But you have to understand too," he continued. "No matter what, I will always wait for you."

And without another word, he turned on his back, swiftly walking away in the fading light. Katara's eyes were still on his figure, her right hand still hovering where Aang had let go. Her heart felt heavier than it had ever felt before as his words slowly sank it, a strange feeling of happiness mixed with undeniable sorrow assaulting her very being. Finally she dropped her hand; Aang having disappeared into the corner. Slowly she stood up on her unsteady legs, running her hands over her tired eyes, letting the cool rays of the moonlight wash over her.

"No matter what, I will always wait for you too." She whispered in the gentle breeze which was blowing in the sweet smell of night roseulip flowers around her before she finally turned on her heels and made her way back, a sad smile gracing upon her lips.

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Reviews are always appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

So here is the next update. I want to thank all the people who have read and reviewed my stories so far. I hope you all like the following one shot as well. Please do leave a comment about it, so that i know how you all liked it or hated it :) I apologize for the late update, it's just that I have been very busy for the past few weeks but finally I found time today to update both my fics. It's a bit short but I hope that's fine...

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"What's the matter Aang?" Katara asked suddenly. She had been noticing him prowling around her for the past hour or so while she tried to get the soup to thicken enough for their lunch. Aang gave a start, looking guilty at having been caught. Katara stood up and turned to look at him, her hands on her hips as the Avatar slowly started to turn a bright shade of redish pink.

"Errr.. nothing. Nothing at all Katara." Aang managed to stammer out the words under the qualling stare that Katara was subjecting him to right now.

"Then why have you been lingering around here for the past hour? Don't you have to go and practise your earth bending with Toph today?" Katara asked, a little surprised at the way Aang was behaving, as if she had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. Aang looked at her sheepishly, running his hand nervously around the back of his neck, trying to squirm out of the situation by flashing her his charactersitic grin. Katara felt herself melting a bit at his smile and almost would have gave into it and dismissed the matter at hand but something about his guilty face was ringing a loud alarm at the back of her head.

"You don't think that is going to work, is it?" She asked sternly. Aang's smile faltered at the strict look on her face and he gulped nervously. Damn Toph and her bright ideas!

"So.. are you going to tell me what you are up to?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground now.

She was getting a bad vibe out of this, maybe Toph and Aang had planned to pull a prank at her. She still couldn't forget the time when Toph and Sokka had sent her on a wild goose chase, telling her that Aang and Zuko were having an Agni Kai and she had rushed off in panic to stop them, leaving behind the Moose Deer meat that Zuko had caught earlier and which she was trying so hard to keep Sokka away from eating it all by himself. It was a different thing though that when she came back and found the meat gone and the guilty party smacking their lips in contentment, the bones still lying around, Sokka had not been able to throw around his boomerang for a day. Suffice it to say that, even Toph found out that day why actually was Sokka so scared of his sister.

"I am not up to anything Katara." Aang replied valliantly but the squirmish look on his face was proof enough of his lie, not to mention that now his ears were turning red.

He tried thinking up of a hundred reasons to explain his presence, each more wilder than the other. Maybe he can tell her that he was keeping watch for Sokka, trying to make sure that he didn't finish off all the soup this time? Or maybe he can tell her he was watching the place to make sure no fire bender caught her by surprise while she was cooking? Or maybe he can tell her that he was trying to see how to cook? He shook his head at the last though. Bad idea. Zuko had offered to help her with the food once, the poor guy is still recovering from the shock of having to face her wrath when he had accidently broken the cooking pot, spilling all the gravy onto the fire, effectively ruining the whole dinner.

He looked up at her, she was still looking at him sternly. He gulped, took in a deep breath and finally decided that the truth shall set him free.

"Katara.. I.."

Just than the cooking pot issued a sinister hissing sound, effectively breaking Katara's stare as she turned to look back at the now steaming pot, which was issuing copious amout of black smoke into the air, along with a strange bubbling noise. Aang's mouth fell open in horror as Katara dashed to the pot, waterbending the water from her pouch and effectively drowning the so called soup to stop it from emitting those horrible noise.

Silence.

The smell of burnt earth and fire filled the whole air, the pot spitting out one last angry hiss before finally falling silent. They both stood still for a moment, for Aang the seconds seemed to tick off to eternity as he waited for the outburst. Katara turned to look at him, her expression a mixture of anger and astonishment.

"Aang.. before I loose my temper, please tell me what you were trying to do." She spoke quietly and Aang could see the effort that it was taking for her to stop herself from screaming at him. It was his fault after all, he was the one who distracted her and now because of that, they won't be able to have the soup she was so trying hard to make.

Aang took in a deep breath and without looking at her face he mumbled. "iwantedtogiveusomethingthatifound."

Katara raised her eyebrows and Aang gulped. He was now looking at his feet. "I wanted to give you something that I found." He finally spoke up.

Katara was surprised. Whatever it was, she was definitely not expecting this. Her voice soften a bit and she actually could feel her anger web away. "What is it Aang?" she asked.

Aang must have noticed the sudden change in her tone for he looked up at her hopefully, his eyes now shining with anticipation. He gingerly pulled out something from the bag and put his fist forward. Katara took a step towards him, curiosity as well as anticipation driving her forward. Aang finally opened his palm and there on his palm stood..

" a seed..?" Katara couldn't stop the disappointment creeping up in her voice which she instantly tried to mask by exclaiming exhuberently. "How wonderful! I love it Aang! I can plant it and it will soon bloom into a lovely plant." She smiled at him, feeling suddenly ashamed of her tiny disappointment but she was surprised to see Aang still smiling up at her.

"It's no ordinary seed. It's a Pandalily."

Katara looked at him in wonder, suddenly feeling a gushing sense of affection towards him, so strong and yet so mild. She was rendered speechless and all she could do was smile at him but she knew he understood. He slowly nodded his head, taking Katara's hand and putting the seed in her palm.

"Toph helped me find it." He explained. "I knew you would really like to have something like this."

"Aang... I.." she breathed, unable to explain her feelings but Aang just gripped her hand tightly and looked at her face softly. He loved it when Katara looked like this, when she got so overwhelmed with emotions that she loses the use of words and sentences. She smiled at him and a serene atmosphere seemed to fall in over them, even the smoky pot seemed to have blended into the background and there was no one there, except for the two of them and the tiny seed in their palm.

A calm happiness filled up his heart, he knew that he did the right thing after all.

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reviews are always appreciated :)


	7. Chapter 7

So here is the next update. I know I have never updated something so frequently but the idea just struck me and I had to put it up :) Don't know how it came out though, it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to so I am kind of disappointed with this one but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. Crosses fingers

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Destiny sure is a funny thing, Zuko thought as he watched the glowing sun slowly setting in the distant horizon, filling the whole sky with a fiery yet gentle orange glow. Long spoken words, as if playing from a distant dream echos up his mind and he can't help but smile sadly at the memory.

_"Orange is such an awful color"_

If someone would have told him three years back that one day his path in life would have led to this moment, he would have laughed at them but then Uncle knew, didn't he? He always seems to know...

A gentle foot step on the ground made him aware of Aang's presence but he didn't say anything, his eyes continuing to gaze at the gentle glow of the setting sun, a few birds flying across the sky, their tiny bodies flecks of black against the magnificent orange of the sky. Aang looked at his fire bending teacher's back and hesitated a bit; he seemed immersed in personal thoughts, should he disturb him? The gentle evening breeze making his orange air bending robes billow out as he stood, he finally decided to let Zuko be alone with his thoughts and turned back. He sighed, he will have to explain to Katara why he couldn't talk to him.

_"Aang, I know something is bothering him, he has been more broody than usual."_

"He is fine Katara, don't worry too much about him."

"It's not worrying too much about him, you know it very well yourself that even you have been worried about his sullen silences."

"Stop being so motherly Katara, he is fine."

He knew he had said the wrong thing as soon as the words left his mouth. He saw Sokka shaking his head and Toph muttering "He shouldn't have said that" just before Katara blew up on him. He shuddered at the memory, as he gloomily turned around, preparing himself mentally to be at the receiving end of another Katara rant. He has just taken a couple of steps when suddenly Zuko called out.

"What is it Aang?"

He turned back to look at him but Zuko still sat with his back towards him, gazing at something which only he seemed to see. Aang walked back and sat down next to his fire bending teacher, looking over at him nervously. Zuko arched his eyebrow, waiting for the monk to explain what he wanted but Aang didn't speak as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Err.. Zuko... " He began, clearing his throat. "We have been noticing that you.." Aang racked his brain trying to search for the right words to say but nothing seemed to come to his mind. He panicked at the look that Zuko was giving him and mentally cursed himself for not having thought about what to say before he came looking for him. Well, not that he had a choice, he reminded himself as Katara's angry glare came scorching back in his mind and he winced.

"That I have been what..?" Zuko prompted, curious.

"Silent..?"

Zuko didn't say anything but looked over at him as if he was scrutinizing every thought that was running through Aang's mind. As the minutes slowly ticked off, Aang began to wonder if Zuko even heard him and just as he was about to repeat what he had said, he suddenly saw Zuko smile at him. Aang smiled back nervously.

"Katara set you up to this, didn't she?" Zuko asked slyly, turning to look back at the sky.

"What? No!" Aang stammered, his ears turning red. Zuko shook his head, his smile still evident in his eyes.

"I have not been silent. It's just the way I always am." He said.

Aang shook his head, finally deciding to take matters in his own hands.

"Katara just cares about everyone." Aang began, the words coming up to him now without any effort. "She has always been there for us, making sure everything is all right. It's second nature for her to mother us around and now that you are part of our group, it applies to you as well."

Zuko didn't say anything but continued gazing at the distant horizon. Aang turned to look back at the sky, the sun already halfway down, a tiny tinge of pink diluting the orange of the sky.

"What about you?" Zuko asked suddenly.

"Oh, she cares for me too." Aang replied happily, his face brightening up. Zuko smiled silently, the way Aang's face radiated happiness, it almost made him wish he knew how it felt like to be that happy. He knew Aang loved Katara and it amused him at first to witness how Aang would try his best to keep Katara's attention and how she would pretend not to notice. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was going on, the various occasions he had seen her blush when she thought Aang was not looking.

He chuckled at the memory of the day when he and Suki had stumbled around them sitting alone, apparently busy with their respective work but the furtive glances that they shot at each other when they thought the other was not looking; it was enough to know how mutual their feelings were. Of course Suki was helpful enough to whisper to him _"They have been doing that for as long back as I can remember."_ for it took him a while to figure out why Katara was blushing at Appa, whose fur she was brushing at the moment.

"At least I think so..." Aang replied hesitantly, wringing his hands in his lap. Zuko was surprised at his tone and turned back sharply to look at him, was it possible that he heard anguish in Aang's voice?

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know.." Aang sighed. "It's so hard to understand what she feels..."

Zuko nodded his head. "Girls are crazy." He supplied helpfully.

Aang nodded his head fervently. "Yes, they sure are. Why can't they just be straight forward with what they say instead of expecting us to figure out that they mean 'no' when they actually say 'yes'? I mean who in the name of monkey feathers can figure that out? "

"I agree." Zuko nodded his head wisely; oh the countless times he had to face Mai's sullen accusing looks when he had the misfortune of actually thinking that she meant what she said and not what was supposed to be hidden behind her words. He doubted anyone can actually fathom the depths of a female mind. Well.. perhaps his uncle maybe.

A sudden flash of blue from the corner of his eye and Zuko turned just in time to see Katara walking towards them. He nudged Aang from his reverie and he blushed a brilliant shade of red at her sight, before catching the suppressed smile on Zuko's face and hurriedly coughing to cover the colour raising up his face.

"There you are." Katara began, coming up towards them. "I have been searching all over for you Aang."

"Really?" Aang asked, the hopeful tone of his voice almost making Zuko chuckle out but he kept his laughter and his silent dignity to himself. It would be mortifying to break into fits of laughter in front of the Avatar and his girl friend, not when he had to keep his reputation as a silent brooder.

"Yes.." she smiled radiantly. "I have something to ask you. Do you mind Zuko?"

Zuko looked at her, frowning at him, as if daring him to mind. He shook his head and turned back to look at the horizon, the sun now a tiny speck of red in the approching darkness of the sky. Love.. he thought ruefully, it sure made people behave in strange ways. Aang scrambled up his feet, Katara already walking down the path she came.

"I have to go. I will catch you later then." Aang replied and Zuko nodded his head as Aang raced down the path to join her. Wonder if she is finally going to confess her feelings towards Aang, Zuko wondered. About time if she did. The furtive glances were kind of getting boring now and he had to agree with Toph when she said she wished they would clear the tension in the air finally.

"So did you find out?" Katara's voice floated up towards where he was sitting.

"Find out what?" Aang's voice followed.

"About why he is behaving so strangely of course." Even from such a distance, the wind carried the small tone of disapproval in her voice.

"Errr..."

Zuko chuckled softly. Girls are crazy.

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reviews are always appreciated :)


	8. Chapter 8

First of all, thank you all so much for the amazing reviews :) I am really glad everyone liked my collection so far :) So.. without further ado.. here is the next oneshot. A warning though, I am being struck right now by writer's block, so this oneshot might seem a bit jumpy and too short :( I apologize for that and I will definitely make it up in the next update. Please do leave your comments :)

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Iroh sat calmly, the sweet smell of sandalwood incense slowly filling up the tent, a cup of jasmine tea in his hands. It has been quite sometime since he had caught up with the fellow members of the White Lotus and it has given him plenty of time to think things through. He looked out the tiny flap of window to his right, his thoughts wandering off to his nephew, his hand unconsciously gripping the steaming cup of tea tightly.

"General Iroh?" Pakku's voice pulled Iroh back from his thoughts and he turned back to look at the water bending master standing near the entrance of the tent. Immediately Iroh's face broke into a smile and he gestured with his left hand for him to come inside the tent, turning back to look out the window. Pakku walked inside calmly, sitting down on the floor right in front of Iroh.

"Can I offer you a cup of tea, Master Pakku?" Iroh asked, noticing the small lines of worry on Pakku's face.

Pakku nodded his head and Iroh took the opportunity to fuss around with his tea pot, delicately pouring in the hot liquid in a porcelain cup and handing it over to him. The water bending master took in a grateful sip, savoring in the taste of the warm liquid, feeling it calm him down as it made it's way down his throat.

"So what is bothering you?" Iroh asked, watching him slowly sip in from his cup.

Pakku took in the last sip and set his cup down on the floor with a sigh. He looked at Iroh straight in the eye before answering.

"Do you think he can do it?"

Iroh knew this question would come up at one point of time or the other but he was not exactly sure how to answer it. True, he has had a lot of time to ponder about a lot of things but this particular question had been bothering him too. He let out a sigh, running his hands through his tired eyes.

" To be honest with you, I don't really know."

Pakku looked even more worried, if that was possible and the look of alarm on his face startled Iroh. "It's not that he is going to fail.." he hastily added but it was too late. Pakku's brows were furrowed in deep thought, his fists clenched tightly on his lap, a look of helplessness filling up his whole facade.

"You know.. we should not doubt his abilities." Iroh finally broke the silence.

"I am not doubting his abilities General. I have seen his power with my own eyes when he just washed off all those fire navy ship with a slash of his hand." Pakku answered, looking up at Iroh's face calmly. "It's just that I don't know whether he will be able to pull it off a second time."

"We can't predict what will happen in the future Master Pakku but we can definitely see the path that the future might take based on the past." Iroh said, slowly sipping in his tea. "And from what the past has shown us, I think we should not take him so lightly."

Pakku opened his mouth to say something but Iroh interrupted him.

"I know what you are going to say but let us not forget that with what he has, he can turn the whole world upside down."

"That's what I am worried about." Pakku said " Turning the world upside down is not something I am looking forward to."

Iroh put his empty cup aside and gently got up on his feet, walking up to the tent window as the evening breeze slowly flapped in through the entrance of the tent, making pakku's robes ruffle as he sat on the floor, looking at Iroh.

"You know Master Pakku," Iroh began, his eyes looking at the distant horizon, "I have not actually made much of an acquaintance with him but from what I have seen and observed, I can tell you this. He might not be able to do it on his own but he has all the support and strength that he would need.. the support and strength of his friends. And most importantly, the support and strength of your student."

"You mean Katara?" Pakku asked, slowly seeing where Iroh was actually going with this.

Iroh nodded his head. "Yes, Katara."

Pakku was silent, his thoughts going back to the time he met the Avatar and his friends in the North Pole.

_" Yeh! They're not fair. If you won't teach Katara, then.. "_

"Then what?"

"Then I won't learn from you!"

" Well have fun teaching yourself. I'm sure you'll do a great job."

" Wait! Aang didn't mean that."

"You can't risk your training for me. You have to learn from Master Pakku. Even if he is a big jerk."

Pakku slowly nodded his head. "Well, she does seem to have a lot of influence on him."

Iroh chuckled softly. "Aren't you being modest with your words Master Pakku? You know it as well as I do, Katara means the world to him and there is no way he is going to mess up when he has someone like her around."

"How can you be so sure?" Pakku wondered out loud.

"I have seen them. The time when Katara was captured by my niece in Ba Sing Se, though the Avatar didn't say anything much, I could sense how worried he was for her safety. Not only as a friend and comrade but also as someone much more meaningful and precious." Iroh turned to look back at Pakku. " She is his strength and his will to fight."

_"What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"_

"Yes.. please!"

" I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him."

" Fine."  


"I would say it's the other way round." Pakku smiled, the memory still fresh in his mind even after all these months.

Iroh smiled happily. "Yes," he agreed " For her to be his strength, he has to be her will. And won't you agree when I say that Katara is one of the most strong willed person you have ever met?"

"There is not a shred of doubt about that." Pakku agreed. "She is determined and hard working no doubt but will that be enough? The whole world's fate is at stake here."

"I know." Iroh nodded, letting out a sigh as he sat down on the floor again. " But that is the best we can hope for. What destiny has in store for us, no one knows but if love leads the way, I am sure we will be fine."

Pakku wondered whether he should be worried about Iroh's sanity or whether he should believe in his words. One way or the other, it did make sense in a weird sort of way but then the General has always been known to spell out things which might seem out of the grasp of the ordinary mind but which ultimately had an insane ability to come true.

"Don't worry." Iroh's voice brought his thoughts back to the present, the smell of tea wafting up his nose. " I know it is difficult and i know we are placing a very big burden on his slender 12 year old shoulders but if anyone can do it, it is him and if anyone can help him do it, it is her. So as long as their love remains strong, I see no reason to doubt his resolve."

Almost as an after thought he added "And Miss Bei Fong might just break his bones if he develops cold feet at the last moment."

Pakku looked at Iroh quizzically. "Bei Fong?"

"Oh, you have not met her?" Iroh asked happily "She is the most amazing earth bender I have met, matching up to Bumi even. And she is the Avatar's earth bending teacher"

Pakku shook his head, slowly getting up. For a strange reason, somehow he felt a lot calmer than he had been when he first came in to talk to the General. He wondered if Iroh's words really made sense after all..

"So what you are saying is.." Pakku replied slowly, " Love and friendship is what is going to make the Avatar do whatever it takes to save the world?"

Iroh seemed delighted that Pakku caught on so fast. "Of course! His friends are all mature and level headed enough. I am sure we will be fine."

Pakku shook his head, making his way to the entrance and as he slowly closed the tent flap door behind, he could hear Iroh mutter worriedly..

"Of course... now that I heard my nephew has joined their group, I am not sure if they are still as level headed as before..."

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Reviews are always appreciated :)


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for not updating for months!

*ducks from the rotten tomatoes*

I am back though And here is a very very short one shot to bring this topic back alive.

*tries to duck from the rotten eggs but gets hit*

I promise I will be more regular in updating from next time.

*gets shot*

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"Aang...?"

Aang looks behind him to see Katara walking towards him, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. " Why are you not asleep? It's the middle of the night." Aang smiles at her gently and turns to look back up the sky at the full moon. "I am not sleepy." Katara hesitates a bit but then slowly walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle sqeeze.

"Want to talk about it?" She asks softly but Aang makes no response. Katara looks at him sitting there, his airbending staff lying by his side and her heart almost wrenches in pain at his dejected form but if he wants to be alone, she can understand.

"If you need me to talk, you know where to find me." She says softly, waiting for a response but still Aang continues looking out the sky. With another gently sqeeze, she lets go of his shoulder and turns back to go inside when suddenly Aang grabs hold of her hand. She looks at her hand in surprise and turns to look at Aang but he still has his eyes fixed over the distant dark horizon.

"Stay." He mutters softly.

Katara was surprised but she walks over and sits down next to him, near the fountain in the courtyard, the moon softly reflecting off its sparkling water. She knew something was bothering him since yesterday, he had been unusually quiet and seemed disinterested in even continuing his earthbending lesson properly with Toph, making her scream in frustration in the end. Even during dinner he had kept to himself, answering in mono syllables and avoiding all questions with a smile. Sokka didn't seem to notice anything to be wrong and though she could see Zuko looking at him, a slightly worried expression on his face, he didn't say anything out loud either.

It had been a few minutes back that she suddenly woke up to notice Aang not lying by Aapa's side, where he usually sleeps. A careful look around the room told her he was not there so she had walked over to the courtyard, the place closest enough for him to go at the middle of the night and sure enough, there she could see his hunched silhouetted form in the moonlight.

She gently looks at his face now but he still had not spoken a word, his hand still clutching her's as they both sit silently under the moonlight, the gentle sound of the water from the fountain being the only thing to break the silence around them. She opens her mouth to say something but Aang silences her with a squeeze of his hand.

She turns back to look up the sky, a bit confused but still somehow at peace with her surroundings. Just the feeling of being there for him was enough to calm her worried heart and just being able to give any sort of comfort by her presence was something she was willing to accept at that moment. At times like this, words lose their meanings and as she continues sitting there with him, holding hands, she somehow seems to understand his need for silence.

A few night birds hoot out from far away and she could hear the gentle cackling of the firewood burning where everyone else was sleeping. Soon enough dawn will break and this comforting silence would give way to a cacophony of noise as everyone gets started with the day, the tension of the looming war hanging over them once again. She lets out a sigh, wondering if they would ever really be able to get rid of the horrors of the ongoing war and if life can ever get back to normal. Aang was trying so hard.. Aang..

She looks at him again and this time he turns his face to look back at her, a gentle smile on his face, serenity radiating out him where minutes ago she could feel unease. She looks at him confused, unable to decipher this sudden change in mood as he slowly gets up on his feet and gently pulls her up along with him.

"Thanks Katara..." He whispers gently, giving her hand another squeeze before turning back and heading inside. Katara stood there for a minute, confusion washing over her but one look at his now retreating figure, no longer haunched but with his head held high and relief like she has not felt for a long time comes crashing down on her. A slow smile lights up her face and with a new spring to her steps, she follows Aang back inside. It's going to be a new day after all...


End file.
